Libraries & Words

Continuing forward with our descriptive work...

We completed our vocab experts for this round, which means that we will review all 22 words during our next class session and have a quiz over such the following day.

We select 4 highlighters (each representing a sense - sight, hear, touch, smell) and highlighted the sensory imagery in our library paragraph(s). From class consensus, sight was the overwhelming sense utilized throughout the writing. As a result, you provided examples from touch (the chill of the room, the feel of the uneven stacks of books, the plants, the tables), smell (moldering paper, food from the kitchenette), and hear (keyboards, pencils, talking, the tree branches hitting the window). Make sure to keep all of your descriptive writings as I will collect these as a mini descriptive portfolio at the end of the unit.

We read "Words Left Unspoken" by Leah Hager Cohen. This essay is online. If absent, use the questions given to you for the "Ground Zero" essay and answer these on paper for participation points.

You were given the grammar boot camp preparations handout - information due Friday - to start our grammar rules review and utilization in the upcoming weeks.

For next class, you are to select an object that has meaning to you --- no cellphones or pets --- and write one paragraph objectively describing the object and write one paragraph subjectively describing the object.

Description Continues

As we continue with description, we are emphasizing imagery, mood, subjective and objective details, and purpose. To further this, we began class by describing Miranda, a painting by John William Waterhouse. From our samples, you noted that specific adjectives and emphasis of details created a written version of this painting.

Continuing class, we added four more vocabulary words to our vernacular and participated in a class discussion. Last, we visited the library to write down all the sensory details. For homework, you will write 1 -2 paragraph description utilizing sensory details to depict the library to a person who has never visited the establishment.

Summary extra credit will be due no later than Friday, January 22. Extra credit will not be available at the end of the course.

Summarizing

Tuesday's class revolved, or at least was supposed to revolve before internet service failed, around the summary assessment, i.e. the perfect summary that incorporates the seven qualities of summation and provides strong mechanics. 

Summary Assessment Steps:

1. Head to Inside Higher Ed, a compilation of articles, blogs, and information regarding collegiate issues : https://www.insidehighered.com/

2. Select an article from the website that you would like to read and use for your summary assessment. The article should be at least 5 paragraphs. Each student will need a different essay.If you were absent, you will need to select an essay that has not been utilized by another student.

 These are the essays already selected that absent students will not be able to select:

• Poverty & Merit
• Historians as Futurists
• A Sense of Duty: Campus Safety & Veteran Students
• Do Students with Guns Save Lives?
• Bias Against Female Instructors
• Debate Over Debt
• Graded on Looks
• The Adjunct: Solution
• Putting Foreign Student Firsts

3. Write the perfect summary -- either as a Google document to share or a typed/handwritten hard copy. This is due by 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday. Absent students have an additional 24 hours -- Thursday at 10:45 a.m. to sign up for the essay and turn in by this deadline.

To end class was the vocab quiz covering the first 10 words. If absent, you will need to make an appointment before or after school to make up the quiz. We also copied down the next 11 words, which we will start on Wednesday. 

More Summation

A little enumeration for today's agenda...

1. Finish our vocab experts for this first round. Review on Monday and Mini Quiz on Tuesday.

2. Learn the qualities of a strong summary and use these to revise Sperber summary.

3. Read, annotate, and discuss Adjunct article.

For homework, write a summary for the Adjunct article. 

Annotating

For today's class, we discussed the techniques and purpose of annotating and how "marking up" your readings help comprehension, perpetuate questions, prepare for discussions, and aid in future studies. Homework this evening is to write a summary on the article for class analysis and revision tomorrow.

E-mails

Thank you for putting up with the sick version of me today. During today's class, we looked over the five elements that are needed in professional e-mails. These elements include the greeting, the introduction, the body, the closing, and the subject line. Your assessment will include 3 e-mails to me on any of these subjects: absence, questions on assignment(s), turning in work, setting up a meeting, clarification on policy/information/etc. These 3 e-mails are due by 11:05 a.m. on Thursday. Feel free to finish this assignment during class.

Advanced Composition Semester 2

Welcome to Advanced Composition! This class will help you fine tune your organization, content, originality, and mechanics in order to make you collegiate writers. I look forward to helping you improve your writing over the course of semester.

During today's class, we had a little chat time to break the ice, then we looked at the class syllabus, which you should keep nearby for any necessary information over the course of the semester. In addition, you were assigned our first group of vocabulary words from Lesson 1: words 1-11. For your assigned word, you will become an expert by sharing the definition, at least 2 synonyms (preferable not the ones given in the vocab book), and a memory trick. Examples of memory tricks are as follows:

• brackish = big rack of fish
• gumption = Forrest Gump
• lachrymose = lac "cry" mose

We will start vocab experts tomorrow, so make sure you have your expert work ready to share.

During our last moments, we looked at faulty e-mails from students to professors. During tomorrow's class, we will continue looking at poor and more successful e-mails and you will be writing your own for your first assessment.

Remember, this blog is to help you with the class -- whether to refresh your memory, review class content, or catch up after an absence.